The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), which represents manufacturers of network equipment, has issued multiple standards related to fiber optic cabling. Some of these new standards are aimed at harmonizing U.S. practices with international practices.
The TIA said that Standard TSB-4947, also known as Guidance for Adhesive Usage in Fiber Optic Components, is intended to present the most commonly observed adhesive usage pitfalls and provides guidelines for proper alternatives.
Paul Kolesar, a member of the TIA subcommittee that develops standards for optical systems, said that the standard provides advice on how to do the gluing job correctly and provides information on how to avoid the aforementioned pitfalls, including application, curing requirements, selection of adhesives appropriate for the application's temperature range and other factors.
Another new standard, TIA-455-231, Calibration of Fibre-Optic Power Meters, is applicable to instruments measuring radiant power emitted from sources that are typically found in the fiber-optic communications industry.
Two other new standards are TIA-526.2-A, Effective Transmitter Output Power Coupled into Single-Mode Fiber Optic Cable and TIA-526.7-A, Measurement of Optical Power Loss of Installed Single-Mode Fiber Cable Plant.
Kolesar characterized the first of these standards as providing procedures for accurate transmitter output power measurements, such that technicians measuring the strength of a signal obtain a result that can be compared to the specification.
The second of these, TIA-526.7-A, provides measurement procedures to determine how much loss exists in single-mode cable plant due to connectors, splices and other causes of attenuation. Procedures cover the use of light source and power meter instruments as well as optical time domain reflectometers. The test method also covers measurement of return loss.
Both of these revised test methods are adoptions of international standards. The harmonization of TIA standards with international standards improves the efficiency of performing tests, specifying procedures and writing standards.
For more:
- see this release
- see this Cabling Installation & Maintenance article
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